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While there is scientific consensus that wearing masks helps limit the spread of COVID-19, there are unanswered questions about which masks are most effective.
Now, a group of scientists released a paper earlier this week which answers that question by considering an oft-overseen element in the mask equation: humidity. Exhaled human breath contains about 5% water vapor, meaning a large volume of water filters through one s mask over time.
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As scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Smithsonian s Museum Conservation Institute explained in a paper published for the journal
ACS Applied Nano Materials, masks made out of cotton fabrics appear to work
The U.S. new cases 7-day rolling average are 14.2 % LOWER than the 7-day rolling average one week ago. U.S. hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are now 13.8 %
LOWER than the rolling average one week ago. U.S. deaths due to coronavirus are now 18.8 %
LOWER than the rolling average one week ago. Today s posts include:
U.S. Coronavirus New Cases are 50,237
U.S. Coronavirus hospitalizations are at 40,212 (not updated today)
U.S. Coronavirus deaths are at 719
U.S. Coronavirus immunizations have been administered to 27.0 % of the population
The 7-day rolling average rate of growth of the pandemic shows new cases improved, hospitalizations improved, and deaths improved. The best monitoring tool, hospitalizations, has been showing continuous improvement.
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Cotton fabrics absorb small amounts of the water in a person s breath, creating a moist environment inside the mask
Cotton masks that become slightly moist through human breath are nearly 35 per cent better on average at capturing particles than when they are dry, making them a better choice than synthetic masks to stop the spread of COVID-19, according to a new study.
Synthetic masks showed no performance change in stopping particles when humid and therefore performed poorly relative to cotton, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) said of its study. This new study shows that cotton fabrics actually perform better in masks than we thought, NIST research scientist Christopher Zangmeister was quoted as saying on the NIST website.